WASHINGTON– The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) today expressed profound disappointment in the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) decision to deny the creation of the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM).
The ABCVM was proposed by SCAI, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) as a necessary step to establish cardiology as its own distinct medical specialty, separate from internal medicine.
“SCAI strongly supported the creation of the ABCVM, but unfortunately the ABMS did not acknowledge the fact that cardiovascular medicine is a unique field that demands its own modernized approach to competency assessment. ABMS had an opportunity to support a forward-thinking, evidence-based certification model that aligns with how cardiovascular specialists train, practice, and maintain their skills today. Instead, they have chosen to uphold an outdated system that does not reflect the realities of our profession or the needs of our patients,” said James B. Hermiller, MD, MSCAI, President of SCAI. “While this decision is unfortunate and short-sighted, it is not the end of the discussion. We remain committed to exploring all options to ensure a fair, relevant, and economical certification pathway for the interventional and cardiovascular communities. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners ACC, AHA, HFSA, and HRS to evaluate all options to ensure the best path forward for our profession. The fight has not ended.”
Below is a statement from ABCVM Chair Jeffrey Kuvin, MD, regarding the ABMS Decision:
“We are deeply disappointed with the American Board of Medical Specialties’ decision not to approve the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine as a new, independent board for cardiology.
The decision ignores the evolution of cardiovascular medicine into its own distinct medical specialty, separate from the field of internal medicine, requiring its own set of knowledge, skills, and competencies to sustain professional excellence and effectively care for cardiovascular patients. In addition, the decision does not acknowledge fundamental changes in how clinicians learn information and demonstrate skills throughout their careers.
We feel strongly that the ABCVM met all the criteria required for a new Board, including aligning with the rigorous, recently updated ABMS “Standards for Continuing Certification,” which promote integrated, specialty-specific programs that further a diplomate’s continuous professional development and emphasize improvements in health care quality, safety, value, and competency, rather than a focus on punitive examinations. In addition, the ABCVM application met the expected financial metrics for establishing a new, independent Board with tremendous professional support within the House of Cardiology and beyond.
The ABCVM Board of Directors is reviewing options for next steps. In the meantime, we expect that ABMS will listen to the feedback and comments from the cardiovascular community.
We are overdue on rethinking the current approach to assessment and maintenance of competency and look forward to continuing to find new ways to ensure continuous cardiovascular clinical competence in a manner that meets the best interests of cardiovascular physicians and patients alike.”
About the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine
As the field of cardiology has evolved into its own distinct specialty, separate from internal medicine, the House of Cardiology felt strongly that having a separate and distinct certifying Board was necessary for sustaining professional excellence and effectively caring for cardiovascular patients. In 2024, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the Heart Failure Society of America, the Heart Rhythm Society and The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions submitted a formal application to create the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM) under the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). For more information about ABCVM, visit: https://CVBoard.org.
About SCAI
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions is a professional organization representing more than 5,000 invasive and interventional cardiology professionals in approximately 75 nations. SCAI's mission is to promote excellence in invasive/interventional cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, and advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care.